opinion

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Rolling the dice of crime
versus attitudes and values
by Clarence E. Pilgrim

In looking across the Caribbean social landscape, one sees the continued threat posed by criminal activity and the impact it has on the lifestyles of law-abiding citizens.

Having a crime committed against you may be one of the most intensely personal feelings of violation and anguish anyone can experience. It may even leave psychological or physical scars. The worst case scenario is that sudden unlawful death could occur to either the intended or even the unintended victim.

Recently, one of my neighbors had his house invaded by a burglar while he and his family were asleep. Thankfully, only money and some items went missing. I guess it could have ended in a different manner had the intruder and the family made contact with each other.

The wanton invasion and theft of one's property is just one of a variety of unlawful acts committed with too much regularity. In some jurisdictions, violent crime, including armed robberies, kidnappings and murder, are being committed too regularly. Gangs continue to be a persistent worry along with the borderless menace the drug trade continues to exude. Social ills appear to have a healthy appetite for perpetuating themselves, and in some aspects, thriving. But the battle against them is not lost!

It's believed by social policy analysts that the root cause of such acts of social dysfunction stem from the urgent need to improve the quality of life among a number of sectors in society, mainly the unemployed, underprivileged and significantly, those persons who fall within the poverty category.

The constitutions of all Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries lay down specific articles that guarantee the rights and privileges of their citizens, as well as the creation of opportunities for families and persons to live a decent lifestyle. Through various laws, protection against unjust and cruel actions is guaranteed.

But how we function with our everyday relationships must be the focus of our self-examination. In order to make an outward change, we must begin by looking inside ourselves.

Social mobility may be the best means to avoid the dangers of social instability. In working to build a firm foundation for the present and future generations, we must be mindful of the errors of the past. We must identify the value system that forms the social constants which will be the building blocks of a new society.

With the ever changing behavioral norms and societal trends, there remain solid fundamental values and attitudes which we must make a constant factor in our everyday actions.

It is quite clear that the world of information and broadcasting technology has given us both heaven and hell in our homes, with entertainment and communication just a click of the switch away. Some of the programming material clearly is in conflict with the values and attitudes society has established.

To a generation, family or individual influenced by this medium, obvious challenges are created. The degree of negative "mind invasion" presents a problem with varying degrees of seriousness, and threatens to warp good taste and standards from within, with the next step being an outward regurgitation of the unwholesome product.

But in reality, it does not seem as if everyone agrees on exactly what are the tangible attitudes and values which are the basic building blocks of our society.

This is why it is extremely important for the CARICOM collective to bring together governmental agencies, clergy, judiciary, social policy specialists, civil society and the widest possible cross section of representation to constructively develop and clearly define by consensus the values and attitudes that are culture specific to our Caribbean human development.

Society must seek inclusion of all its sectors to avoid either a feeling or a demarcated fact that there is an underclass, and therefore individuals within that reality who believe that they can function outside of existing values and attitudes, thus creating the kind of consequences that every nation serious about national development tries to avoid. The drain on resources used to fight crime is a leach on any economy, and forces the rearrangement of national priorities.

It is equally important for those who are given the important task of enforcing the laws to be properly prepared, equipped and supported, so that they are able to execute their mandate in an efficient and effective manner. At times we hear of allegations that those who are in a position to defend the law are found wanting, thus creating suspicion and mistrust in some minds. Whether this is real or imagined, the institutional wheels of societal functions must continue, and the social equation balance must be targeted to the point of equilibrium among competing factors, both good and bad.

A start on the road to progress is that the leadership collective of CARICOM must address the issue of crime in a timely and relevant manner. It must not be treated as business as usual, but defined as the threat it is --- a clear and present danger, and one which will not go away until we can clearly articulate the root causes of the problem, and how far we are prepared to meet the challenge. We must not replace decisiveness with "rolling the dice" of uncertainty.

The author is an educator and civil servant in Antigua & Barbuda

Also in this section:

Bernal, Panama and China
Falun Gong, Should the world boycott the Beijing Olympics?
Leis, The privatization of air
Carpio, Disaster reduction: made in Japan
James, Disaster relief in the Caribbean Basin
Pilgrim, Don't roll the dice on decent values and their opposite
Sánchez, Venezuela turns its attention from MERCOSUR to the Andean nations
Reporters Without Borders, Cuba arrests six journalists in 24 hours

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